When you’re trying to cut out gluten, become a vegan, eliminate GMOs or avoid carbs, it can feel like you can’t have anything you enjoy, especially not dessert. And specifically? Chocolate cake can feel like a no-go— until now! Check out our four delicious, delectable diet-friendly chocolate cakes.
No matter what diet you’re on, we believe you should get to enjoy some chocolate goodness. Whether you’re Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo, or Keto, these delicious recipes really take the cake!
Click on the links below to get your printer-friendly copies of each recipe.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Serves 10
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (can substitute with ⅓ cup vegetable oil)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (can substitute with other vinegars)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-¼ cups gluten-free flour mix
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Gluten-Free Ganache Topping
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate (55-to-60-% cacao), coarsely chopped or broken into pieces (2 slightly heaping cups)
- 1 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease an 8 or 9-inch cake pan, and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the melted butter, beaten egg, water, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Place a strainer over the bowl, and add to it the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Tap the side of the strainer with your hand to sift the dry ingredients into the wet, and whisk to combine.
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.
- Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Gluten-Free Ganache Topping
- Grind the chocolate in a food processor until it reaches the consistency of coarse meal, about 30 seconds.
- Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream to the food processor and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.
- If not using right away, transfer the ganache to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. To reheat, warm it gently in a double boiler or in the microwave.
Chef’s Tip
- Depending on the brand of gluten-free flour mix you use, you may not need all of the water in the recipe. Start with ¾ of a cup of water, and, if needed, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter reaches proper consistency.
Get your printable copy of this Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake recipe by clicking here.
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Serves 8 to 10
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 cup almond milk (can substitute with water)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (can substitute with canola or other neutral flavored oil)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (can substitute with apple cider vinegar or other vinegar, besides balsamic)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar (plus more for topping, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Raspberries, for topping (optional)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease an 8-inch cake pan and line with a round of parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, almond milk, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- Place a strainer over the bowl, and add to it the flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking soda and salt. Tap the side of the strainer with your hand to sift the dry ingredients into the wet, and whisk to combine.
- Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan.
- Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the top of the cake feels springy to the touch. You may also find that the cake is leaving the sides of the pan.
- Cool the cake, in the pan, on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Then carefully unmold the cake onto your wire rack. Top with more powdered sugar and/or raspberries, if desired.
Get your printable copy of this Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe by clicking here.
Paleo Chocolate Cake
Serves 8 to 10
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup raw honey
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour, very finely ground
- ¼ cup tapioca flour (can substitute with coconut flour)
- ½ cup raw unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Paleo White Chocolate Drizzle
- ½ cup cacao butter
- 1 teaspoon honey
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Grease an 8-inch cake pan and line with a round of parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, raw honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, and use an electric mixer to combine.
- Place a strainer over the bowl, and add to it the almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Tap the side of the strainer with your hand to sift the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Whisk until just combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.
- Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool, in the pan, on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Use a small offset spatula or a butter knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan. Unmold the cake onto the wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature or until cake is just slightly warm.
Paleo White Chocolate Drizzle
- In a double boiler, melt the cacao butter and honey. When this white chocolate mixture is just melted, remove from the heat.
- Let the white chocolate cool to room temperature for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Remove the cake from the freezer, and slowly pour about ⅓ of the white chocolate over top.
- Put the cake back in the freezer for a few minutes, or until the white chocolate is white.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 two more times.
- Serve right away.
Get your printable copy of this Paleo Chocolate Cake recipe by clicking here.
Keto Chocolate Cake
Serves 10
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 1-½ cups dark chocolate (85% cacao or higher), chopped (7 ounces/200 grams of dark chocolate)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 eggs, separated
- ½ cup Truvia™ blend (can substitute with other no/low-carb sweeteners)
Keto Carb-Free Whipped Cream
- 2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
- 2 to 4 teaspoons liquid Stevia™ (or 1 to 2 very small scoops powdered Stevia™), to taste (can substitute with other no/low-carb sweeteners)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F/160°C. Grease an 8-inch cake pan and line with a piece of parchment paper.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, add the dark chocolate, butter, and heavy cream. Melt together by heating the chocolate mixture in the microwave in 30-second intervals until the butter and chocolate are completely melted.
- Whisk together the chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Add the Truvia™ blend, and mix well to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Take 1/3 of the whipped egg whites and whisk into the chocolate mixture, to lighten. Gently fold the remaining egg whites, 1/3 at a time, into the chocolate mixture until no white streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the cake is set but the center jiggles slightly. Allow cake to cool until close to room temperature before serving.
Keto Carb-Free Whipped Cream
- Pour all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until you reach whipped-cream-like consistency.
Chef’s Tips
- If the chocolate mixture looks like it is separating, continue to whisk it for a few more minutes and it will eventually emulsify into a shiny, smooth ganache. An immersion blender or a hand mixer will quickly re-emulsify the chocolate mixture.
- Be careful not to over-beat your egg whites while whipping, as this could cause the cake to collapse during or immediately after baking.
- Leftover cake freezes well. Cut the cake into slices and freeze in a freezer bag. You can also freeze the whipped cream if you do not plan to use it immediately.
Get your printable copy of this Keto Chocolate Cake recipe by clicking here.